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Breakfast is outdoor fun

Kids build forts and have a great time

Kids enjoy climbing up the mulch at the Tree Farm during the community breakfast, June 4. (Chris Frost / Lamar Ledger)

The One Step and Healthy Places kids were back at it, June 4, as the groups hosted a Community Breakfast and Fort Building exercise at the Tree Farm at 10th and Maple Streets.

The groups enjoyed breakfast and used materials provided to make tents, forts or whatever they wanted.

The group was promoting 5210 and handed out fruit and pineapple whips to everyone who attended.

The event

Healthy Places Assistant Coordinator Renee Beebe said the community members are the fort experts.

"The kids are the experts," she said. "I wouldn't know how to build a fort if you paid me to do it."

She said the kids are having a great time finding the supplies they need.

The Spano family had a great time at the Healthy Places Community Breakfast. (Chris Frost/Lamar Ledger)

"They're also exploring to find some so they are the experts," she said.

Beebe said it takes a lot of time to come up with event, but in the end, it's a group decision.

"The nice thing about today is that we're really relaxed," she said. "We're allowing the kids some unstructured exploring time and there is a lot of need for that."

She attended an Inspire Grant meeting, June 3, and it went very well.

"We're starting to put those themes on paper and started to get some designs in our minds," she said. "We'll narrow that down and work more on those."

Bike season

The group just started an eight-week bike clinic at the Healthy Places storefront.

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"The kids are learning how to strip down bikes and we have brand new bikes together and they are going to be able to ride their new bike home," she said. "Byron Hall and Anthony La Tour are helping with that."

The kids

Gabryela Andrade handed out breakfast to the attendees and had a good time.

She built a fort with her brother Lucas and his friend Angel Castillo.

On Friday we made the cups with paint," she said. "We spray painted them and put how we feel outside."

She feels free and calm outside, but wasn't sure if she was going to build a fort.

"I made the smoothies," she said.

She planned more outdoor activities after the event.

"Maybe swimming," she said.

Dominic Spano, 5, built a tent.

"I built a real tent," he said.

The parents

Jason Spano said he also likes Dominic likes climbing up the mulch pile.

"It's like a mountain," Dominic said.

Jeanine Spano was excited about the event.

"We thought our boys would like it a lot," she said. "We didn't know this area was here."

"I lived here in Lamar since 2006 and didn't know it was here," Jason added.

He added some expertise to the tent.

"I was actually in the tent and tried to entice the boys to come in, but it didn't work," he said.

He likes that Healthy Places teaches about different places in the city.

"They've got some really good ideas like the bike paths," he said.

Eric Storeng was helping his kids build a fort.

"We're actually from Michigan and we are visiting Lamar because we are thinking of moving here," he said.

The family lived in Lamar eight years ago.

"We moved back to Michigan when we had the kids but we decided to check it out again.

Mackenzie Storeng said it's her first time in Lamar.

"I think it's really good," she said.

She liked building a fort.

"The best part about it is that when you're done, it's really cool to go inside," she said. "I used to have a fort at my old house when I was little, but it got too little for us so I had to give it away."

She would pretend it was her stuffed animal's birthday.

"We put them in the tent and we put some toys in there and played," she said.

Mackenzie said she would like living in Lamar.

Being outdoors

Emily Nieschburg said kids are using their imagination.

"They are being inspired by just being in the great outdoors," she said.

They are playing with sticks a little bit of fabric, she said, and having some good food.

"They are creating these forts in this incredible space," she said.

She reminded everyone that kids who spend more time outside are happier, healthier and smarter.

"We want that for all our kids in our community," she said.

She pointed out the events are a great investment in the community here.

"We want them to have resources, we want them to have fun and be healthy," she said.

She also feels they are great tools to bring people to the community.

"One of the things that inspires people to be here is families coming together, community being connected parks coming to life, trails being built and healthy eating coming to life," she said. "They like all of these components."

You hear it from the community every day, she said, but it's a bonus when you hear it from people coming to visit.

The goal is to inspire the kids.

"As kids get excited about doing all this families will get excited about doing all this," she said. "We're doing it together."

Nieschburg said you don't have to go to a park to experience nature.

"You can do it right in your backyard," she said.

What's next

Nieschburg said there are lots of movements going on all centered around building a healthy community.

"We have plenty of cooking classes and shopping classes coming up this summer," she said.

There will also be lots of events that get kids in the great outdoors.

"Our next big event, you will not want to miss, is Family Fun Day, June 25, starting at 9 a.m. at Willow Creek Park," she said. "It's a full day of fun and it's totally free."

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